Something Called Life
by krystal-dolphin
Summary: Marron's life finally seems to brighten when she makes a friend, considering her loneliness in the city. She just wasn't prepared for all the other things that came too, things like love.
1. Chapter 1

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SOMETHING CALLED LIFE

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"Thank you, enjoy your ice-cream." I said, handing her a napkin.

As soon as the counter was empty, I whipped out my magazine of _Women's Weekly_. I know, it sounded like some sort of saddo consolation for middle-aged females, but... hey wait, it _was_. No, don't get me wrong, I wasn't a middle-aged female, nor was I a saddo... well... the only reason why I got this was because the main article caught my eye.

"_How to deal with a break-up_." I read, sighing at my desperation. Don't you hate it when you suddenly realise how unbelievably pathetic you've become? And it usually resulted from something that you promised yourself that if you ever get depressed over it, you'd shoot yourself? That was me, then.

It was incredibly stupid and I don't even remember how I got into it. At first, I wasn't even sure if it _happened_ because I was so shocked. What was it? A month ago, this guy started pestering me at the parlour, morning 'til night. He was like a little leech, and despite my continuous words of rejection, he just wouldn't give up. I couldn't take it anymore, so finally I gave in because a person can only take so much of constant buzzing in their ear. We went out a few times and then I realised he was pretty cool. That was my big mistake. He was in fact this really creepy idiot that used to take pictures of me when I was sleeping. God knows what else he was doing then? I was glad I caught him in time, otherwise I might have just fallen in love with a psycho.

After all that hellabalooza, I ended up ditching the guy. Well, what else? 

Now I'm back in my ice-cream parlour, crooning over old ladies' magazine in my hands. When would I ever get a chance to be happy? I mean, I was happy with my parents and my home, but that was not what I meant. I wanted happy as in... _love_ happy. Or even a few _friends _at_ least_! Ever since I was made to move out there, I hadn't interacted with anyone on a social level outside of my job! What was it? Why couldn't I receive _some_ sort of fun in my life? I felt like a techno-monicolour movie, or whatever it's bloody called as long as it's black and white for goodness' sake!

My unstable thoughts got me so pissed that I started to angrily clench the pages in my hand, ripping my magazine to shreds. Like usual, there was nobody to ask me what was wrong. Like usual, the only other person working there besides me was too busy filing her nails! The only times we spoke were when she didn't know how to turn on the bloody waffle dispenser! Stupid bimbo!

I was getting hotheaded again, it was the third time that day. I couldn't help it, my temper was atrocious, I was just made that way. I doubt it was _that_ that made people avoid me, though? Well, whatever it was, it looked like I was going to have to deal with it seeing as there were no other options for me. A nineteen-year-old stuck in the middle of nowhere. School was a big no-no. My family was two hundred miles away. I had no friends. Things could only get better, right?

Deciding there was nothing left to do, or read for that matter: the magazine had been dismantled, I picked up the damp cloth in front of me and started wiping down the counter. It wasn't much of a difference, though. Well, at least it gave me something to do until I was faced with yet another customer who couldn't care less about the life of the person serving them.

"Excuse me, Miss?" came the usual greeting. I looked around for Chantelle, but she wasn't there to see. But then again, when was she ever anyway?

I drew up a fake smile, as always, for the awaiting customer. "Yes, Sir what would you like today?" I chanted. Yes, it was a _chant_. But wasn't that the definition of chants? Something that is constantly repeated in order to provoke a reply?.. So that might not be the _exact_ definition, but I knew a chant if I ever heard one, and 'Yes what would you like today?' is the mother of all chants, I can assure you. 

Why the hell was I rambling about chants?

"Hmm, le'me see." he procrastinated, eyeing the list of flavours on the tabletop. "Well, I don't know." he shrugged happily. I wasn't in the mood for games, I shot him a glare.

"Might I recommend chocolate?" I asked him in possibly the most dull voice imaginable. He glanced at me testily, as if mocking my impatience. What a Bastard with a capital B.

"Hey..." he slowly mumbled, stroking a non-existent beard. Like I said, I was _not _in the mood for games.

"What-" I started slowly, "do you want?!" finishing the sentence with words dripping off annoyance. I glared at him with maximum pupil laser power and it seemed to do the trick. He took his hand off his idiotic idea of a fake beard and coughed to regain a straight voice.

"I'll have strawberry, please, Miss Marron." 

I returned my eyes back to the man, having wandered them off to the side in a journey of rolling them. Did he just address me by my name? Did he call me Marron?

"What?" I uttered in shock. "What did you call me- why?"

The man shifted in his spot and shrugged again, just like before. "Unless you're wearing someone else's nametag, I guessed it was your name... right?" he chuckled. "If not, sorry!"

For the first time that day, I smiled. My lips, out of their _own_ accord, curled into a small _smile_. I was intrigued, this man had just made me smile. He made me _smile_!

"Uh, yes that's my name." I corrected him, my spirits having been lifted a small portion. "So what did you say you wanted again?"

"Strawberry, please." he asked with a smile. I nodded and went to get him one, making sure that the scoops were extra big. That was the first time ever in my eight months of working at _Le Glace Osciller_ that someone really took the time to glance at my nametag and address me by it. Handing him the cone, I could not help but incur an urge to ask _his _name. "Here you go, Sir..."

I hesitated, not really knowing how to ask for his name. Sure, a simple 'What is your name?' would have been enough, but in a nervous state of mind, I never thought rationally.

"Thanks, Marron." He nodded towards my direction, and paying before he turned to leave. Damn! That was it? Nothing else? Not even a 'Can I get your number, Marron?', but that's not fair! Was it because he already had a girlfriend? I wouldn't be surprised... but it just wasn't fair! If I didn't say something, who knows how long it would be before I got another customer as nice and considerate? When I'm in my thirties, perhaps?

"Do you come with a name tag, too?" was the best I could manage. I know, it was terrible, but at least it was something. "I-- er..."

It seemed I was talking to no one, him having already halfway left the shop, but that was not the case. He turned around, flashed me a toothy smile, and cheerfully hopped back to the counter, ice cream in one hand, sunglasses in the other. I was so relieved, now was my chance to strike up a lively conversation!

"Yep, the name's Goten."

He did a mock curtsey, lifting up his 'dress' to lower himself before me. Wow, this _must_ be my big break! A cute guy with a lovely personality. Now if only I had the guts to say _something_. I wasn't actually attracted to him, I was just very flattered at his caring enthusiasm. Maybe this was the friend I was looking for?

"Goten, would you be my friend?" 

Damn me and my inability to speak unlike a retard! Again, my mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish, and when I realised what I was doing, I think I turned beet red, which made me look like an overblown balloon! Instantly, I shifted my eyes to the side to avoid humiliation in front of a potential friend.

"Like we're not already?" I heard laughing a few feet away and looked up to see a smiling Goten. Was he laughing at me? Hello, anyone? Was this man laughing at me? Do I have something on my face? People?

No, he wasn't laughing at me, he was just laughing because... well, he _wanted_ to. Because that was something you usually did without a reason..?

"Uh... no, I was just checking..." I meeped. Yes, I _meeped_. And I'm not going into full-rant mode again. Figure it out yourself what meeped means.

Stupidly, I bared all my teeth in a grin, trying to copy the way Goten did it. Needless to say, it didn't work and everyone probably thought I was mad. As if I couldn't look any more like a freak, I displayed my two fingers of my right hand into a peace sign.

Goten laughed and walked out. 

But he was coming _back_, right? He _did_ say we were friends, did you hear? Yes? Hi?

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya everyone, thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter, it brought a smile to my face. And I apologise in advance for the dullness of this chapter V.V I was going to add it to the end of chapter one but it didn't quite fit, and well, I thought that putting it as an independent chapter could be useful for later on ^.^ I'll put up the next chapter shortly afterwards. Enjoy it! ** __

SOMETHING CALLED LIFE

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I felt like a little kid, a little kid on the top of a roller coaster. Boy, was I happy! I think that was the first time in my life that I'd ever been that happy since I'd gotten a nose. Hey wait, scratch that last sentence. No, I didn't mean scratch my nose... Okay stop with the nose, I couldn't help it if my nose was invisible when I was young!

Anyway, after my 'life-changing' encounter with a species of the third kind, a.k.a. Goten, I was in a permanent good mood. Chantelle didn't even cross my mind when the store was full a little later on. The fact that some man was threatening to report me to the manager didn't faze me. The fact that I looked a complete spaz didn't even occur to me. All I knew was that Goten said we were friends and that was all that mattered. I had a friend. Punch me, fire me, shoot me, I didn't care, I had a friend!

After the crowd of rush hour disappeared, I was left on my lonesome once again. Chantelle had been kidnapped... either that or the loud snores from the back room were hers. Actually the latter seemed more likely than a full on ransom epic, don't you agree? There was only two hours left to go until six when the parlour closed, but the way I was feeling, I could have handled it for another year non-stop. It never occurred to me that Goten might have been a sleazy liar and that he'd never actually come back again and that we were not actually friends. I think that I was just so overwhelmed at the breakthrough happening for me. I guess I was a bit stupid and naive like that.

Nevertheless, something told me that Goten wasn't a sleazy liar, and the only one that _was_, was the creepy old man who sat on the bench outside the store every day. And despite the fact that I was a young vulnerable girl who closed the store late every evening and wore provocative clothing, he didn't dare try anything on me. Do you know why? Listen to this girls, I'd recommend it. It was because I carried a foghorn around with me. Clever, eh? You'd be sure to go deaf in an instant, lifetime guaranteed. No refunds unless you were Johnny Depp.

There was only fifteen minutes left until the store closed, and I could hear shuffling sounds from the back room. Fit to my suspicions, Chantelle had been snoozing in there nearly all day. I wasn't the one to complain, though, because I'm sure she would have done something to Goten if she'd seen him, and that would have prevented what happened to me, a friend!

I did finally close the store, following routine. Now there was another thing I hated, routine. How can someone live their lives on such straight and narrow roads? I can tell you this, my roads sure weren't straight and narrow. More like bent with roadwork all over the place. It was in fact at my current place that I had managed to stay for over two months. Everywhere else soon lost its spark if I stayed too long. I guess there's just something about City Central that draws me to it. Oh, and well, I'm definitely staying now, if I get a chance at friendship.

What did it really feel like? I've never had friends before. No, I'm serious, I hadn't. School was just one big joke that I always used to skip. I guess I was a bit of a demon child, always causing my parents to have fits. But then, what other choice did I have? I couldn't stick school, it was a waste of time!

But then, sometimes I did wonder what it would have been like, you know, If I'd gotten a serious education? If I had listened to my parents when they told me to concentrate in school... If I was a good child? I let out a sigh as these thoughts wracked my head. 

Surely there was more to life? There's got to be, right?

*

The day was a blast! I mean, I'd beaten up my best friend, fell into a manhole, and made friends with this cute chick at the ice-cream parlour! Now look me in the eye and tell me these things happen to you on a daily basis people? You can't, can you? Didn't think so.

Well, my life wasn't exactly about going hissy on Trunks, nor was it about beholding such clumsiness and bad luck to fall into 'blatantly there' holes, nor blonde babes... but on that particular day, it was.

It all started off with Paresu dumping me. Yes, you heard right, my girlfriend of two years _broke up_ with me. Yes, I cried. I cried like a little girl. Yes, a little girl, and no I am not ashamed.

I cried until she got extremely angry and threatened to call the police. I didn't regret at all, 'cos you know why? If I wasn't going to be around for long, I might as well have let all hell loose as long as I was. It served her right for breaking up with me, I couldn't believe the woman. She'd done it three times before! That was why I never took her seriously anymore. I didn't know when it was over from when it wasn't. It's a pretty meaningless relationship.

But I can't stop loving her just at the click of a finger. At the end of the day, _I'm_ the clingy one, and I hate myself for not being stronger.

Okay woah! We were getting a little emotional there, it's best we don't go down that road. So what else happened? Oh yes, I beat the crap out of Trunks for telling me some things I didn't want to hear. The prick cursed my incompetence just because I'd left the stove on at his apartment. Like what was going to happen? Oh come on, don't look at me like that.

It sounds a bit harsh now that I think about it, I really shouldn't have hit him so hard.

As I was walking home to change my clothes after that most crude event... Oh wait, I'd started it. Okay forget that. As I was walking home to change my clothes after my 'rash' meeting with Mr. Briefs, I lost my footing and landed butt first at the bottom of the stinky sewer. It was just as well that I was going home to change, right? The guy that I'd landed on gave me a little trouble at first, asking how on earth did I not notice the manhole warning, then calling me a dickhead. Of course, I could not tolerate the impudence so I knocked _him_ out too.

My mother always taught me that what you give is what you get in return. The guy gave me swearwords, I gave him a one-way ticket to Doozy Land.

Oh, and I almost forgot that cute girl at the ice-cream parlour. There was something about her, I'm not sure what, though. She seemed really pissed at first but then I suppose it was just a bad day for her. She did ask to be friends, though. I was glad about that.

I rubbed my cheek with a cold flannel on the spot where Trunks had sent a lamp flying into it. Freak.

*

I was right again, that weird man made yet another appearance as I locked the door and left. Never once had I bothered to ask what was up with him, I'm sure you can guess what caused me to do so that night, though.

"Are you alright there, Sir?" I asked as warmly as possible, although it was hard seeing as my voice was slightly husky and I'd been told I sounded evil...

The man glanced upwards, though not at me, but at a tall skyscraper behind some trees. That was the Capsule Corporation skyscraper, wasn't it? Word got round that the president was a grumpy mooch. Why was this man staring at it so pensively?

"Sir?" I asked again, now being quite curious to his thoughts. Again, he stared.

"I know you. You work at the parlour." he finally muttered. Yes, I work at the parlour, do you have a problem there, psycho? Oh, sorry, I got a bit defensive. I mustn't do that all the time.

"Not once has anybody asked me how I was until now."

I jumped a little when he cast his eyes onto mine. In fact I was a little frightened, the man's black eyes didn't shine whatsoever. Oh God, he wasn't a brain eating zombie, was he? Zombies' eyes never shone!

"My son is up there."

I was broken from my reverie by the man's tear-invoked voice. Oh no, now he was crying? What was I supposed to say? "Uh- Sir? Do you have a home to go to?"

His gaze placed itself back onto the tall building and he didn't utter another word.

Okay...

Needless to say, I went home feeling a little 'clueless'.

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Vincent Van Chow- Yes! I know your name's Chantelle, it reminded me of you ^.^ Although, please be honoured that I'm using your name... instead of insulted at how the character with your name acts... *LOL* I'm glad to see that you were the first to review, me is very grateful for your loyalty. I have a present for you *hands you a Pikachu plushie* Pikachus are kewl.

kawaiisempai- Well smack my thigh and call me Sindy, that was one hell of a review. I was like O.O when I read it. It's MERvelous, dear. I'm glad you picked up on Marron's silly antics and whatnot. I a-hope that I can turn that good into a great. *laughs* no the future (I hope) would never be three months away *nervous laugh* Eh... yeah. *uncomfortable glances*... want a Pikachu?

kittykat- Well, I'm not entirely sure about my other ones, if I'll finish them or not. I really must break the habit of starting stuff without finishing it. I'll try. 

Starry-Eyez888- Hillarious? Really? I never really intended it to be. I was just going to make Marron desperate and pathetic and such. That impression seems to have plastered itself into my head O_o 

Lavender23- Oh dear I love your name *snatches it* Thank you so much for the kind review. 

Thanks you all for reviewing, I'm glad that you uh 'like' my stories enough to review. And here I was thinking that I'm some crazy girl who just happens to be in reach of Wordpad. Oh yeah not to mention a compooter... and um, a toothpick :P

By the way, if anyone would like to see my drawings of Marron and other characters, please go to www.krystal-dolphin.deviantart.com I've redesigned Marron's character just in case you think it isn't her. It's my online gallery ^.^ take a look around. 

Chao, Krystaaaal.


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, I apologise for my last chapter... personally I didn't think it was THAT bad, I got no reviews -_-;; Well, never mind, enjoy this one *nervous laugh***

  
  


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SOMETHING CALLED LIFE

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It was a lonely walk back to my apartment, what with the streets buzzing with excitement that didn't, and never will, include me. Looking around, I realised that everyone had at least one person that they were with. And those that were alone, well, I'd bet that they weren't feeling like I was, for sure.

But then that was how it had always been. It came to me as something natural; I've learned to care less. But then again, I think I've learned to care too little, for now it had come back at me with full force. Why did Goten have to bring out that part of me? It was okay when I was continuously isolated.

Oh who was I kidding? 

The way I felt when I'd interacted with him was like thick ice had been broken! I was almost ecstatic, and I'm certainly going to hang on to something like that. The thought of a friend brought a tiny smile to my face just as I headed up the stairs at the end of the hall. It was dimly lit and made the building look a little artificial, seeing as the sun was still providing rays outdoors. On my way up to the fourth floor, I greeted the lady on the wall as usual. She was a painting of a ballerina, so serene and graceful. So full of shit, the world wasn't really like that, little Miss. Instead, it's full of people that couldn't care less about each other and are always out for themselves. Chantelle, Mike*, and probably even Goten, they're all the same. Hopefully not Goten, though.

The key turned and unlocked the latch, emitting a familiar sound. As soon as I was in my home, I purposely stumbled and fell onto the couch. It was so inviting. The ceiling greeted me with its usual peeling plaster. Things were never different. As much as I tried _not_ to be routinely, it just came back and hit me in the face. I'd have to deal with it. I was routine, a boring girl in a messed-up world.

So this was it, and most probably how it's always going to be. Waking up, going work, hating work, coming home, falling onto the couch, making dinner, watching TV, taking a shower, thinking random stuff, then going sleep. A repetitive agenda, the never-ending circle of my doom, something called my life.

The most extravagant thing that I could manage to concoct for dinner was a microwave lasagne and steamed vegetables. Usually I would have cooked some noodles or gotten some takeaway Mexican food, but the noodles were out and I was low on cash. The only thing that could satisfy my hunger was some lousy broccoli and zero quality baked 'goods'. I remember staring at the broccoli for about, let's say, what seemed like a day, before I even considered it as food to eat. I was in such a daze; my mind was going anti-clockwise again.

However, I did finish up my platter of delicatessen before I skipped the TV part and headed straight for a shower. It was refreshing to say the least.

It wasn't until half an hour since I'd originally got into my bed that I fell asleep. My mind was- once again- racing with opinions about the world, and drawing up philosophical results about mankind. Wasn't I just a geek? I did manage to work out, though, that life seemed to be an endless existence of unfairness, and that the only excitement I'd get out of it was my buttered broccoli.

That or meeting my one friend Goten again.

*

"Goten, apologise to Trunks. That's an order."

He looked at his mother sadly and sulked. "But I did nothing wrong!"

Honestly, what on earth was I doing here, at this time, resolving _this_? I thought I was twenty-four now, but it seemed that the parents still regarded us as seven.

"You burned my kitchen down, _Goten_." I reminded, not once letting my friend forget about how he foolishly left the stove on, and adding that extra snare to his name. When was this _boy_ going to learn that actions had consequences? And that _thinking_ every once in a while might actually invoke thoughtful actions? I know that Goten was born stupid, but to think, after twenty years of his life, he must have learned _something_.

He was really testing my patience now, I could _feel _the pulse on my neck as I pierced my eyes into him, and contained myself the best I could from doing any further harm. You should have seen me earlier; I beat the crap out of him.

"Sorry, _Trunks_." came the awaited answer. Of course, I wasn't the one awaiting it. He was pleasing his mother, not me. The only way Goten could bring me any happiness was to stand in the middle of railway tracks blindfolded. 

Everyone and anyone knew that the minute Chichi left the room, Goten and I would go into full attack mode and kill each other.

But lucky for him, I was busy today.

Promptly, they left my office and once again, I was on my own. Good, I liked solitude, I longed for solitude, I could live in this world all by myself, and it wouldn't matter. What good were thousands of friends if they never appreciated you and only hung around you because you were rich? The only way that you'd get something done is if you do it yourself. The only way that you'd be truly happy is if you depend on yourself.

It was getting late; two hours had gone since Goten left, and I decided it would be better to go home instead of hang around the office any later. I bid my colleagues fake farewells as usual, no emotion having been given in the gesture. I sometimes wondered why I did it, then I remembered what kind of world we were living in.

The world of those happy fairies dancing around, like maniacs with their so-called 'meaning'.

*

You know, _I _was an example of one of the people that Trunks despised. 

Yeah, it's true. I was _typical_, like the common people that Trunks frowned upon. I would never be 'deep' enough to understand his mind. I was happy-go-lucky, the complete opposite.

I know all too well about Trunks's hatred for the world. I know too well about his past, it's sad, so very disappointing. I didn't know the whole of it, but I knew enough to work out that she was cheating on Trunks, taking him for all his worth, all the while bonking some bastard behind his back. His loyalty to the bitch was endless, and what did he get in return? Shit. Trunks's demons usually caught up to him on a regular basis, clouding his rational thoughts with evil and fire. I know that my language about the subject isn't suitable nor does it make sense, but I know what I feel for my best friend, and that's downright, furious loyalty. Man, we'd been together since we were born, well, since _I_ was born, and Trunks taught me everything about the world. That is, until all of its negative issues brought themselves upon _him_.

I know a great deal more than I let on.

And I also knew that inside him, there was a tiny, itsy-bitsy, little tag, that if you pulled, the _real_ Trunks would come out. A tag of hope.

Well, not exactly the best metaphor, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

The way Trunks looked at me in his office, I think he really wanted to kill me. It was nothing like the looks he shot me before. In addition to that, Trunks seemed really worn out, like he was really tired. I couldn't figure out why, but I suspected that it wasn't entirely down to me, making him feel that way.

Ever since Trunks took over Capsule Corp., he'd really lost his spark. Coincidentally, that was also the time when he split up with that terrible girl. The sparks in his eyes were replaced by dark, damp-looking stones, and even his hair seemed to have become a darker purple. I wasn't sure if it was all exactly possible to get darker hair from stress but I knew it was something along those lines. Maybe Saiyans' hair gets darker instead of them growing grey ones? Interesting.

Maybe Vegeta used to be a redhead? And got so stressed that his hair turned black? Creepy.

I obviously wasn't in the best of moods when my mom drove me home that night. What made it worst was the fact that I didn't even get to go all full-out sparring mode with Trunks! I really felt like something had been lost along the way. I don't blame Trunks for thinking like he did, considering what happened to him, but at least a little effort would have been nice. The least that showed me the old Trunks was still there was the fact that he'd always make an effort to spar with me. And if he wasn't exactly making effort to spar with _me_ per se, I'd have been honored that _I_ was the one he chose to thrash. Yes, really, I would have been honored. Besides, Trunks builds hidden emotion through his actions, you know? The emotions that he lost the ability to express through words. I would gladly give anything for Trunks to beat me.

I felt like something had died inside him, and the continuous question kept popping into my head. Was Trunks even my best friend anymore? 

Has my one only friend in this world completely torn himself away from me? 

* * * * *

  
  
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Oh dear, what a shambles we have gotten ourselves into my clueless Goten. No, Trunks doesn't hate you!! He was just busy!!

Oh! Hi there folks! This chapter has certainly revealed a lot, huh? Maybe a little too much O_O even so, I'm sure most of you has got the gist of it by now? No? *sigh* Let me explain just in case. The 'past' that Goten is talking about, we won't go into too much detail about that now, but we all know that it has affected Trunks majorly, right? Yes? Okay. So now he's just lying there like a closed book with pretty decoration on.

I think that was the worst analogy I have ever made in my previous fifteen years of life, let me rephrase. So now Trunks is just lying there like a closed book that no one can read, but has pretty decoration on, much like the facade that he is hiding behind. We do not know the real Trunks yet.

... There are also other hidden meanings behind this chapter, can you find them?

I hope that y'all have enjoyed this chapter, and that it wasn't too boring. If so, too bad there's nothing I'm going to do about it. Bye people!

Chao chao, Kreeestal.


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